So, is inhaling smoke no longer unhealthy?

I find it interesting the people of Colorado have voted to legalize the “recreational” use of marijuana. Personally, I just can’t understand how inhaling smoke can be good for a person. The government and many private organizations have spent millions of dollars over the years fighting the big tobacco companies. Finally the truth about the bad effects of tobacco, what we always knew, comes out: it is proven to kill people.

Maybe I’m just old-fashioned, but I believe the human body works best by inhaling fresh air, not smoke (of any kind). It seems to me we are taking a huge step backward. I suppose the next thing would be to turn the production and marketing of marijuana cigarettes over to Phillip Morris or RJ Reynolds, companies that really know the smoking business. That way, people could be supplied with a regular and guaranteed supply of marijuana.

Again, I guess I’m just kinda old-fashioned, but my idea of recreation is hiking in the mountains or going for a bike ride, not sucking smoke into my lungs.

Martin Pfefer, Centennial

This letter was published in the Dec. 13 edition.

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Or we could just get the two CU history students to supply us all with brownies.

Anonymous

Provided they tell us up front that they are marijuana brownies, and not just surprise us.

Alan9074

There is nothing healthy about using alcohol on a heavy basis, but it’s legal. Why? Because more social harm is caused by trying to prohibit it’s use with the force of government. Ergo, marijuana is being legalized once again because………..well, you figure out the rest. By the way, you don’t have to smoke it to get high. You can eat it or vaporize it.

Anonymous

“By the way, you don’t have to smoke it to get high. You can eat it or vaporize it..”
———
Then why…..smoke it? Why inhale smoke into one;s lungs……if it can be eaten…….or taken by pill form?

Why……smoke it?

DR

Much like our discussion on second hand smoke, this might come as a shock to you. But, some people actually LIKE to smoke (whether its tobacco or marijuana) *GASP* *SHOCK* Oh the horror!!!

Don’t worry, I have faith that someday you might actually outgrow your rage that some people on this Earth actually enjoy doing things that you don’t or can’t understand. It’ll be ok. Don’t worry.

Anonymous

Smoking [or vaporizing] has the advantage of nearly instantaneous effect, allowing easy titration of the dose. When eaten, the effects take up to an hour to begin, and there is no way to reduce the dose if you find yourself higher than you wish. That’s why.

Laslo

Why smoke it? Because the high is unique and a bit different from edible or vapor ingestion, since the metabolic processes are not identical. I’m not a doctor but I heard one say the red blood cells reacting to the smoke causes a particular feeling not obtainable with a vaporizer or eating it. From my own experience I think this is about right. So it’s really a slightly deleterious “epicurean” taste. However, a vaporizer delivers the flavor of cannabis like you wouldn’t believe, just marvelous!

Joel Walker

What does this have to do with the price of tea in China? If the litmus test for the legality of anything is the health factor then why do we have fast food restaurants on every corner? Or Starbucks; caffeine is highly addictive and bad for the circulatory system. Or candy bars, soda pop, anything with high fructose corn syrup, I guess we should ban cars too, since people die every day due to accidents, not to mention the toxic emissions they spew out. And we should probably outlaw anything with aspirin in it, since thousands of people per year die from ingesting too much of it. We probably shouldn’t be allowed to go out when there is snow on the ground as well, due to all the accidents ice causes. Where does it end? I would rather live in a country where people can live life as they choose, even if it shortens their lifespan.

Joel Walker

As an addendum; just because marijuana is legal does not mean we all have a mandate to smoke it. Anyone who chooses can still live a smoke and alcohol free life, eating only organic food and drinking only purified water. Freedom is a great thing.

TomFromTheNews

I personally don’t like putting anything into my lungs but fresh oxygen, but the rights of adults who wish to partake in alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, junk food, etc., is a matter of choice. When pot becomes legal, I do not intend to use it, but neither would I prohibit the freedom of choice of other adults who partake responsibly (in accordance with the new law).

Anonymous

Uh-oh, Tom, our air is almost four-fifths nitrogen! Do you wear an oxygen mask all day?

TomFromTheNews

Ha-ha. Very funny. You know what I mean.

Anonymous

Mr. Pfefer,

If health concerns are such a factor for you then where is the downright outrage over the abuse of prescription medication, alcohol, carbs, caffeine, fatty foods, asprin, etc.

You should probably consider the fact that most of us know that smoking anything is not good for your lungs, however, cigarettes are still legal and now, so is marijuana. People have the freedom to make all the above choices regarding what they put into their systems. We all know smoking is bad for us and imbibing in too much alcohol or any type of medication can have serious health consequences.

You mention more than once how old fashioned you are. Maybe that’s really not the case. I would go so far as to say you are uninformed on the subject of marijuana. There are other ways to ingest marijuana besides smoking it such as vaping it or consuming it through edibles. I would recommend googling The marijuana policy project, Norml, or saferchoice.org. They have extremely informative websites on the subject.

You would also do well to remember that we all don’t consume marijuana just to get high as you imply. Marijuana has been used medicinally for thousands of years. But frankly, even if people were just getting high, so what? It’s none of your business. Just like it’s none of my business how you choose to unwind and relax.

BTW Mr. Pfefer, some of us choose to imbibe in marijuana whilst hiking and biking. Marijuana and outdoor activities are not mutually exclusive by any means. You might try it sometime.

irisman

Pot is less dangerous than alcohol, although it’s not very healthful. The country had Prohibition of alcohol from 1920 to 1933, but it didn’t stop people from drinking, it just encouraged lawlessness. The same goes for pot: legalization is the lesser of the evils. I don’t intend to start smoking pot or eating hashish brownies. The restrictions on smoking pot should be the same as the restrictions on smoking cigarettes. That would be reasonable.

Anonymous

The laws on marijuana are a bit more restrictive than smoking as it is unlawful to smoke marijuana in public per Amendment 64.

Regardless, for now it’s nice having the freedom to imbibe on our own property without the threat of the authorities kicking down your door.

Anonymous

Look up “Storm Crow’s List” and the “Tashkin Study”. To keep Cannabis illegal, while tobacco and alcohol are freely available, would be *MURDEROUSLY STUPID*.

Anonymous

So, you’re saying I shouldn’t barbecue steaks tomorrow? Or have a yule log going? How about smoked salmon, is that bad too?

You know, my grandmother never smoked but ate carrots nearly every day of her life. And now she’s — wait for it — dead.

Makes you think.

Laslo

Pfefer, you’re basically an idiot. Amendment 64 was about the *consumption* of marijuana, nothing about the means of ingestion of cannabis. If you don’t have an IQ large enough to decipher what this means we’ll get to the point: the inhalation of carbonized biomass is usually not the bad idea, but carcinogens are not inherent in cannabis, and cannabis smoke has not been documented to cause serious health problems in even heavy smokers. However, vaporizing or eating cannabis is the best way to consume it as far as health effects go. Are you really so stupid as to be ignorant of this? Or are you trying to lay a smokescreen on the liberation of this plant by confusing the public about easily researched health issues?

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